Latest news with #HughBowman
South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Helios Express digs deep to nail Invincible Sage in pulsating Sha Tin Vase finish
Helios Express (outside) rockets home to beat Invincible Sage in the Group Three Sha Tin Vase. Photos: Kenneth Chan After seven straight placings behind Ka Ying Rising, John Size's sprinter breaks through with narrow Group Three success Snapping a streak of seven consecutive placings behind Ka Ying Rising, Helios Express dug deep to chase down Invincible Sage for a heart-stopping victory in Saturday's Group Three Sha Tin Vase (1,200m). Sent off the $2.05 favourite in his bid for a breakthrough success, the John Size-trained gelding launched a withering burst from last to deny $20 shot Invincible Sage in a bob of the heads on the finishing post. Hugh Bowman took Helios Express back from the outside draw in the field of 11 and was still at the tail at the 200m, as Ben Thompson made his move on Invincible Sage from midfield to shoot to the lead. Helios Express arrived just in time for a deserved win after five seconds and two thirds behind the world's best sprinter, Ka Ying Rising, who was absent from Saturday's feature. Helios Express charges from the rear to overhaul Invincible Sage in the G3 Sha Tin Vase! 🏆 @HugeBowman #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) May 31, 2025 'Only just,' Bowman said of the short-head margin. 'I've had a lot to do with the second horse, Invincible Sage, and they both got the soft track conditions which suited both horses and you've seen them both run to their premium. 'My horse had to overcome the [on-speed] bias. I knew that going out but I was reluctant to change [Helios Express'] pattern because with the handicap, I thought he was well in with the 123lb. 'He thoroughly deserved it. He's been chasing the champ all season and with his absence, he was the number one seed and he came out in front.' A brilliant winner of last year's Classic Mile and Classic Cup (1,800m), Helios Express delivered Size his second Sha Tin Vase triumph following the handler's success with Courier Wonder in 2021. Switched to sprinting after his four-year-old campaign, the son of Toronado was runner-up to Ka Ying Rising in Group One features the Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m), Centenary Sprint Cup (1,200m) and Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (1,400m). 'He certainly deserves this win. He's tried very hard all season to win a decent race and finally he got it done. He found a race that was suitable for him,' Size said. Patch Of Theta, who was brown-lamped late in betting from $9.1 to $3.7, ran on strongly from second last to grab third, almost two lengths behind Helios Express. Multiple Group One winner Lucky Sweynesse ran fourth under top weight of 135lb. Size said Helios Express might not be done for the season, with a crack at the Group Three Premier Cup (1,400m) on June 22 a possibility. 'I'll see what he's like at home. After his last start [when third in the Chairman's Sprint Prize], he showed me he really wasn't looking for a break so we'll see how he pulls up after this race,' Size said. After also winning Saturday's Class Three Tai Wai Handicap (1,200m) with Masterofmyuniverse, Size gained a bit of breathing room in his battle with David Hayes for the trainers' championship. With 60 wins, Size extended his lead to seven over Hayes, who struck in the Class Five Shing Mun River Channel Handicap (1,400m) with Lucky Man courtesy of a gun ride by Bowman. Trainer David Hall bounced back from Invincible Sage's narrow defeat to claim the following race with Ka Ying Attack, ending his long winning drought at 60. Mark Newnham and Lyle Hewitson also snared doubles, teaming up to win Saturday's two dirt races with New Forest and Talents Ambition, while Luke Ferraris chimed in with a brace of his own aboard Dazzling Fit and Tourbillon Prince.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Hugh Bowman bullish Helios Express can strike in absence of Ka Ying Rising in Sha Tin Vase
Helios Express (purple and gold silks) finishes close behind Ka Ying Rising and Satono Reve in the Group One Chairman's Sprint Prize. Photos: Kenneth Chan Hugh Bowman has supreme confidence in Helios Express capitalising on the absence of superstar Ka Ying Rising and a light weight when the talented sprinter chases a deserved win in Saturday's Group Three Sha Tin Vase (1,200m). A brilliant winner of last year's Classic Mile and Classic Cup (1,800m), Helios Express has had to settle for five seconds and two thirds behind Ka Ying Rising in his seven starts this season. That streak includes three Group One seconds and a last-start third in the Group One Chairman's Sprint Prize (1,200m) when he rocketed home from last. With Ka Ying Rising sent for a break, the Sha Tin Vase presents a golden opportunity for the John Size-trained Helios Express to break through at Group level. While Bowman conceded the outside draw in the field of 11 was far from ideal, Helios Express' top form and weight of 123lbs has the Australian bullish. HE DOES IT AGAIN! 🚀 Ka Ying Rising makes it 12 straight wins, four Group 1s and a HK$5 million Speed Series bonus with victory in the 2025 Chairman's Sprint Prize... @zpurton #FWDChampionsDay | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) April 27, 2025 'I think he's very well placed,' Bowman said. 'Barrier 11 isn't really what I was after. In saying that, he settles back and the more he settles and finds his feet, the better he runs anyway. 'He's been unreal this season. I thought his last run was his best and on his most recent trial, I think he's in the best form he's been in all season and he's got a very attractive set up, despite the wide draw. I'm sure he'll start a short-priced favourite and deservedly so. I hope he can get it done for us.' Multiple Group One winner Lucky Sweynesse, who carries top weight of 135lbs, and fellow Group One victors Invincible Sage and Victor The Winner are among Helios Express' rivals on Saturday. 'If Invincible Sage gets moisture in the ground like he did last time, he's just a different horse,' said Bowman, who guided the David Hall-trained sprinter to victory in last year's Chairman's Sprint Prize. 'There's some worthy opposition in the race so we won't discard them, but Helios is in good order, he trialled well last week and with Lucky Sweynesse in the race, he gets the weight advantage as well.' Bowman will chase a feature double for Size on Saturday when he rides last-start Group One Champions Mile winner Red Lion in the Group Three Lion Rock Trophy (1,600m). The consistent galloper caused a massive upset when narrowly beating subsequent Triple Crown hero, Voyage Bubble, at $90.8 on Champions Day. However, the elite-level success has thrust him into the role of Lion Rock Trophy top weight. 'That makes it very hard. You're giving good horses a lot of weight,' Bowman said. 'Barrier one will help him – he'll have less work to do in the early stages. But I would think he's probably going to have to run better than he ran last start to win with the weight. That's my honest opinion.' Second in the jockeys' premiership with 64 wins, Bowman will also ride Lucky Man, Straight To Glory, Prestige Hall, Precision Goal, Excel Wongchoy and Size's promising sprinter Crossborderpegasus at Sha Tin. 'Crossborderpegasus is an exciting young horse who's progressing well,' Bowman said of the winner at three of four starts. 'He continues to have a habit of laying in, which hasn't improved and is a little concerning. But if he can start to get his race sense going, he's got points in hand.'
South China Morning Post
19-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
David Hayes hopes for a Champions & Chater upset with Rubylot against ‘horse to beat' Dubai Honour
Trainer praying for some rain to help his Classic Cup (1,800m) winner measure up at the elite level Dubai Honour is the 'horse to beat' in Sunday's Group One Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) but David Hayes is relishing the chance to try and cause an upset with Classic Cup (1,800m) winner Rubylot. Rubylot ran sixth in the first leg of the Classic Series, the Classic Mile, before defying $14 odds to come from nearly last to first to mow down My Wish and win the Classic Cup. The four-year-old ran another stormer when finishing strongly into fifth in the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) and was last seen finishing an unlucky sixth in the Group One FWD QE II Cup (2,000m) on Champions Day. Rubylot was shuffled to the back of the field after an inside trip and his rider Hugh Bowman had to take the daring route between horses, copping a sizeable bump before lashing home. Rubylot mows them down in the Hong Kong Classic Cup at Sha Tin! My Wish is brave in defeat as @brentonavdulla and David Hayes combine for victory... 🏆#4YOSeries | #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) March 2, 2025 Hayes reports Rubylot is in flying form in the mornings as he prepares to watch the Rubick galloper have his final piece of work. 'We're up at Conghua for his final piece of work on Tuesday before Sunday's big day,' said Hayes. 'He's working like a horse that's really peaking and not going off. 'He's by Rubick so some people would say he wouldn't run a mile and a half, but if you look at the dam's side, it's a very dour European type. 'With luck, I think he could have easily placed in the QE II Cup and that's the elite level. Hugh [Bowman] is very confident he can run a placing and be competitive with the locals.' The race has been billed as a clash between the Triple Crown-seeking Voyage Bubble and top-class foreign raider Dubai Honour, with the rest of the runners making up a supporting cast. Voyage Bubble will bid to become just the second Hong Kong Triple Crown winner on Sunday after wins in the Group One Stewards' Cup (1,600m) and the Group One Hong Kong Gold Cup (2,000m), but like a vast majority of the locals he has stamina to prove on his first try at the trip. No such reservations are held for William Haggas' Dubai Honour, who is a two-time Group One winner at the 2,400m distance, most recently when flashing home to collect the Group One Tancred Stakes at Rosehill (2,400m). He is proven at Sha Tin by virtue of his narrow second in the Group One Hong Kong Vase (2,400m) back in December and Hayes is under no illusions about who is the horse to beat. A fourth Group 1 for Dubai Honour! 🏆@TomMarquand's mount protected his 100% record in Australia earlier this morning, seeing off Duke De Sessa to land the Tancred Stakes for @WilliamHaggas... — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 1, 2025 'Dubai Honour is the horse to beat, he's got nothing to prove compared to the local horses,' said Hayes. 'People have billed it as a clash between him and Voyage Bubble and I do see it that way as well. 'If there's a horse that can cause an upset, maybe that's us, but realistically I'd be over the moon to run in the first three. I have incredible respect for Voyage Bubble. 'I haven't looked at Voyage Bubble's pedigree but he's very good at 2,000m – if it rains then Rubylot will love it and it will make things very interesting.'
South China Morning Post
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Caspar Fownes praises ‘amazing owner' Aaron Kwok as Dancing Classics shines on debut
Cantopop star Aaron Kwok (centre) enjoys Dancing Classics' victory with jockey Hugh Bowman and trainer Caspar Fownes (second from left). Photos: Kenneth Chan Caspar Fownes praised the patience of 'amazing owner' Aaron Kwok Fu-shing after debutant Dancing Classics saluted for the Cantopop star at Sha Tin on Sunday. Almost two years after arriving in Hong Kong, Dancing Classics finally made it to race day after experiencing repeated lameness. It was worth the wait for connections, with the four-year-old steaming to victory in 55.57 seconds in the Class Four Beijing Clubhouse Cup (1,000m). 'He's had a lot of issues. It's very expensive to keep paying up for these horses and it's very rewarding,' said Fownes. Bravo, Aaron Kwok! 🖤❤️ Hong Kong's celebrity icon tastes victory at Sha Tin with smart debutant Dancing Classics for @HugeBowman and Caspar Fownes... #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) May 18, 2025 'It means a lot when you know they've got potential and they've just constantly got issues and you bring them back.' Prominent throughout near the outside rail after beginning well under Hugh Bowman from barrier 12, Dancing Classics assumed control inside the 150m to see off Fun Elite by a length. Kwok's fifth horse with Fownes, Dancing Classics became the third of those to win on debut, while the other two have run second before going on to taste success later in their careers. 'We've been lucky – we've bought him some really nice horses over the years,' said Fownes. HK Racing News Get updates direct to your inbox Sign up Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy Error: Please enter a valid email. The email address is already in use. Please login to subscribe. Error, please try again later. THANK YOU You are one the list. '[Dancing Classic's] got a very big engine. We just hope now that he pulls up well and we've got a horse for the end of the season coming in with a fresh pair of legs. Dancing Classics (red and black colours) charges down the Sha Tin straight on Sunday. 'Hopefully [Kwok] can get rewarded for being an amazing owner and being so patient and believing.' Bowman was pleased Dancing Classics finally got to show his wares on race day after first getting a feel for the son of Press Statement in a couple of Conghua trials. 'He's a horse that's shown a bit – a fair bit, actually,' said Bowman. 'I trialled him at Conghua some months ago and I was very excited by him. He's been plagued by a few niggling issues between then and now, so it's taken a bit of time. 'My second ride on him was during the week. I bounced him down the back and I was pretty satisfied he could come here and perform well and he did that with flying colours. 'He's got improvement to come and he's an exciting, young horse.'
South China Morning Post
08-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
What's in store during the final quarter of the 2024-25 Hong Kong racing season?
Voyage Bubble (white, blue and green colours) will bid to become the second winner of Hong Kong's Triple Crown later this month. Photos: Kenneth Chan We're into the final quarter of the 2024-25 season and it's about now that those inside the Hong Kong racing bubble start looking for the finish line. That's not to say there's not plenty to unfold between now and the season finale on July 16, however, with another Group One to come, the outside chance of a title fight in the training ranks and the annual shuffling of the riding roster next month. Sizeable leads for kingpins Like he has every season since Joao Moreira's departure, Zac Purton is coasting to the jockeys' premiership – his fourth on the bounce and eighth overall. Purton leads by 44 over the second-placed Hugh Bowman with 19 meetings remaining and it is now only a matter of how many winners the star Australian can amass. The trainers' championship is mathematically much closer but the chances of John Size being overrun look just about as slim as Purton being reeled in. Ten clear of his nearest rival in David Hayes, Size is sitting pretty and looks to have more than enough ammunition to keep powering towards a record-extending 13th title. Of course, bigger gaps have been closed in Hong Kong title races but chasing down Size is a different story. More broadly, Size heads to Sha Tin this Saturday needing just one win to hit 1,600 victories in Hong Kong and the 70-year-old continues to close in on John Moore's all-time record of 1,735 successes in the city. Raiders eye riches again Rebel's Romance became the first overseas winner of the Group One Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) last year and the final elite-level contest of the season looks poised to boast some much-needed international flavour once again. While the Triple Crown quest of local star Voyage Bubble will create plenty of interest, the expected inclusion of decorated globetrotter Dubai Honour and Joseph O'Brien's Al Riffa will give the race real substance. Officials are confident both gallopers will make the journey and if they do, Hong Kong racing fans will have a genuine late-season highlight to look forward to. Change afoot in riding ranks Next season's riding ranks will be largely known when the Jockey Club licensing committee confirms the roster next month and Alfred Chan Ka-hei is one jockey who will not be continuing. While Chan is retiring because of a lack of opportunities and Antoine Hamelin is expected to head back to France after more than five seasons in Hong Kong, Australian James Orman is one fringe jockey keen to hang around after making a solid start to life in the city in recent months. While Jockey Club officials are no doubt hard at work looking for new blood to add to the riding roster, it was confirmed in February that South African Brett Crawford will be joining the training cohort. The man most likely to make way is Benno Yung Tin-pang, who has reached the retirement age of 66. However, it's been a disjointed season for Yung as he's battled acute myeloid leukaemia and the Jockey Club could certainly do worse than granting the veteran handler a proper farewell season. Unlike most recent campaigns, all handlers look set to meet the Jockey Club's trainers' benchmark – which is 16 winners for those with a Conghua stable and 14 for those without – with Michael Chang Chun-wai and Jimmy Ting Koon-ho filling the bottom two rungs of the table with 12 winners apiece.
